


Worth My Time

by LeaSparks



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Canon Era, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, and it's pretty mild, only for like two seconds though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-23 14:19:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18152963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeaSparks/pseuds/LeaSparks
Summary: David knew, abstractly, how to kiss someone. Whispered conversations between his classmates happened often enough that he understood that beyond just lips on lips, there could be tongue incorporated (though he didn’t exactly get why someone would like that), and putting your hands certain places was vital, and that kisses weren’t limited to the mouth. It all seemed very complicated and like it would take a lot of practice, and in David’s opinion, wasn’t worth the time.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ngl i'm not incredibly happy this, but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Fun fact: band-aids were invented in the 1920s

It was Racetrack’s fault, really, it was.

 

If Racer hadn’t made some dumb quip about Davey looking ‘like he’d have no idea what to do with a girl if she planted one on him herself’, he probably wouldn't have even been thinking about kissing anyone. It wasn’t like the subject came up particularly often, with Sarah always having been quiet on that front and Les being ten. But here David was, sitting on the fire escape outside his bedroom (a habit picked up from Jack), staring down at the alley below, thinking about kissing and all its many implications. He just couldn’t get himself to _let it go_.

 

He knew, abstractly, how to kiss someone. Whispered conversations between his classmates happened often enough that he understood that beyond just lips on lips, there could be tongue incorporated (though he didn’t exactly get why someone would like that), and putting your hands certain places was vital, and that kisses weren’t limited to the mouth. It all seemed very complicated and like it would take a lot of practice, and in David’s opinion, wasn’t worth the time.

 

David had kissed exactly two people in his life, and neither had been particularly exceptional. First when he was nine: Angelina Grace had dragged him out behind the school and awkwardly smooshed her mouth against his, holding onto his face with both hands before pulling away and giggling. The second time was much more recent. Someone in the lodging house had found a few bottles of liquor and by sunset a majority of the houses’ inhabitants were having trouble walking straight. At some point during the night, David had found himself with Smalls draped across his lap, both of them laughing themselves breathless at some joke or another. David had composed himself enough to shoot back a clever quip, making Smalls laugh even harder. She unexpectedly reached up, hooking an arm around his neck to drag him into a drunken kiss. In retrospect, that kiss hadn’t been too bad, but David still didn’t understand the obsession, both his schoolmates scandalized hissing and the newsies’ loud bragging. Maybe they had had as little experience has he did? It seemed like the sort of thing you’d need practice to get good at, not matter what the terrible romance novels at the library said.

 

Idly, he wondered if Jack had ever kissed anyone. He seemed like the type, flirting with just about anything that moved. He was also objectively attractive, David supposed. He had a nice face shape, pretty eyes. There was also something about his manner, about the confident way he held himself that was undeniably alluring. David had witnessed him charming several girls, trading charged smiles and compliments with an entrancing ease. The girls always blushed and acted coy, but he had never seen a one that hadn’t shot Jack an appreciative once over. It would be a blatant lie to say he hadn’t given Jack a glace or several (he was a practical boy, he couldn’t change what he felt), but he had never let himself consider anything further than a distant recognition. He would be excellent at kissing, whatever that implied, David decided, at the same moment that resolved to never, ever think of Jack that way again, for so many reasons.

 

He failed, of course, and was still grumpily pondering it a half hour later, when the very subject of his thoughts tugged himself up onto the fire escape next to Davey.

 

Enter: Jack Kelly

 

“Heya, Davey.” He said, dropping down next to David and sending him a wide grin.

 

“Hello.” David was decidedly _not_ thinking about kissing or Jack or the how the two things could be related in any way.

 

Raising an amused eyebrow, Jack peered at his friend’s face, the remnant of a sour expression still apparent. “What’s got you lookin’ like that, you get a shit score on a test or somethin’?”

 

David’s responding noise was a half-sigh-half-laugh, playfully shoving Jack’s face away to hide his smile. “Don’t swear where my mother can hear you, or you’ll be banished faster than you can charm your way out of it.”

 

Jack rocked back, laughing. “Please, she loves me, no charm necessary! And who can blame her,” He said cockily. “I’m a _delight_.”

 

“You’re terrible.” Davey responded dryly.

 

Jack chuckled and bumped his shoulder against Davey’s affectionately, the brief contact sending a rush of warmth through the dark haired boy’s body. “Ya’ wound me, Jacobs. Really though, what’s goin’ on in that big brain a’ yours?”

 

“Nothing, Jack.” Davey ran a hand through his hair and looked away, hoping that Jack would drop the subject.

 

“Uh-huh. Sure.” David had always been a crap liar. Emotions on his sleeve, this boy. “Spill, Davey.”

 

Groaning, David leaned back against the wall. “Really, Jack, it’s fine. Just some dumb comment someone made earlier that’s been bothering me, that’s all.”

 

“Davey.” Jack prodded further.

 

“Jack.”

 

“Come on, ain’t you the one who’s always talking? Why ya’ choosin’ now to stop?”

 

David let his head fall back against the wall, heaving an annoyed sigh. “If I told you the general topic, would you lay off?”

 

Jack narrowed his eyes, amused. “I might.”

 

“Kissing.” David said flatly as he could, though he was aware of the intense heat in his face and the way his heart was getting prepared to beat it’s way out of his chest.

 

Jack paused, like he was waiting for him to continue. “And?”

 

“And what? That’s it.”

 

Jack made an exasperated sound. “That _cannot_ be what’s got ya all in a tissy. Details, Davey, details.”

 

“You said you’d lay off if I gave the general topic!” David protested.

 

Jack rolled his eyes, grinning. “I said I might. Who? Who’re ya thinkin’ about kissin’? Some dame from school? Onea’ the girls from lodging?”

 

David had a sudden and inexplicable urge to confess, to blurt out the answer. He wasn’t stupid nor neive, he knew the sort of things that happened to people like him, who had just as much an eye for the same sex as for the opposite. He gathered his wits, sucking in a deep breath. “I’d better go inside.”

 

He had just barely gotten halfway to his feet when Jack’s hand closed gently around his wrist, tugging his movement to a stop. “Davey. Don’t go.” And if that didn’t melt David like butter- “I’ll lay off, really. I didn’t mean to push.” His voice was achingly gentle. David wanted to hold onto this moment, if not just to stave off the next few minutes.

 

David dropped back down, defeated. “You’re fine. I just…” He tapped his fingers restlessly on his leg, considering his options. It would better to do this fast, he decided. Rip it off like a band-aid. “Ask what you did earlier, please.” He requested in a small voice.

 

Jack’s brow furrowed. “What? Uh, who’re you thinkin’ about kissin’? Why did’ya-”

 

_Band-aid_ . “You!” The word slipped from David’s lips like a bottle stopper, all the pressure inside him rushing out. He buried his face in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut tight, counting his breaths to try and slow them.   _And now comes the fallout_ , a voice inside him whispered.

 

_Shut the fuck up_ , he whispered back.

 

“Dave?” Jack hazarded. He didn’t sound angry or disgusted, which was a good sign. Possibly.

 

David raised his head cautiously, retracting into himself in the same motion. He stared at Jack, fear pumping through him. He didn’t say anything.

 

“You’re queer? For me?”

 

David flinched. Before he could stop himself, he was talking. “I don’t expect you to feel the same way, I really really don’t and I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone because even though you seem fine with it most folks aren’t and I would really like to keep my head attached through maybe it might be better if it wasn’t because I might stop talking then-”

 

“Davey.” Jack cut him off, not unkindly. “I don’t mind, seein’ as I feel the same way.” The blonde boy went red at his own words, stuttering slightly.

 

David slowly unfurled, turning slightly towards Jack. “You’re…” He let his words trail off, letting the implication do the work for him.

 

“Could I kiss you?” Jack ask, with significantly less confidence.

 

David’s jaw went slightly slack, his thoughts darting back to earlier. His eyes dropped to Jack’s mouth, unbidden, and he nodded lightly.

 

Jack scooted forward so that one leg was folded up and pressed against David’s hip, bringing up his hand to guide David’s head to fully face him. He leaned in slowly, pausing a breath away.

 

Without consciously deciding it, Davey tilted his head and closed the final gap, pressing his lips to Jack’s with a slight shudder, his eyes sliding closed as he let himself melt against the other boy.

 

Later that night, Davey stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom, fingers pressed absentmindedly to his lips. Kissing, he decided, was extremely enjoyable. Even when you were kissing a boy.

 

Especially if that boy was Jack Kelly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two of the edited out bits of text that didn't make it into the story.

         1. This directly follows the sentence "... for so many reasons."

 

Firstly, it was illegal. It was common enough to see stories of it in the paper while hunting for a better hawking pitch, boys carted off to prison and women locked away in insane asylums. He had heard the insults spat out during fights, ‘pansy’ and ‘fag’ and ‘queer’, and many of the terrible gossips at Jacobi's had lots to say about it to anyone who would listen. But David had always been a realistic boy. When he had first noticed his gaze being drawn to a boy’s shoulders or his own tendency to blush at friendly, innocent physical contact, he had been freaked out and repressed it with all his will. It didn’t stop happening though, and he was forced to confront it. Several hours of embarrassing introspection later, he found that his attraction to women wasn’t an illusion, but also he was still very much interested in men. One glance at that confusing tangle of emotions had him resolving to set the entire matter aside and operate under the self imposed delusion that he was not indecently attracted to anyone, thank you very much. 

  
Second, he had no desire to wade through the complicated process of having a queer sweetheart (if they were still called that when you were queer), especially one he already had social entanglements with. God, just the thought of explaining himself made him feel queasy. 

 

         2. And this is the majority of what  _would_ have been the ending:

 

Almost immediately, Jack’s lips began to move against his. It was warm and sweet and a little damp, but as Jack let his hand slip from Davey’s face to the back of his head, pulling him closer, he thought he finally understood why people did this so often. Even with the way their teeth clacked awkwardly and their noses bumped together, it was everything the other two kisses hadn’t been: full of hesitancy and rife with emotion. He could definitely get used to this.   
  
They were interrupted rudely by the slam of a door in the ally bellow them. They jerked apart, Jack smiling in disbelief and David flushed and panting. It occurred to him that he was kissing a boy in broad daylight, which was inadvisable at best and more realistically stupid as shit.   
  
They stared at each other in wide eyed silence for a moment before Jack broke it to ask, “D’ya want to head inside?”  
  
The possible implications of that weren’t lost on Davey, but he still nodded hastily, stumbling to his feet and extending a hand to help Jack up. Jack took it willingly, keeping it in his grip when he stood. David spared a moment to consider how much he liked he warmth of Jack’s palm around his own, before dragging him through the open window behind them. As soon as they regained their balance on the other side, David spun around so that he was pressed against Jack, palms spread on his chest. The taller boy’s hands flew to his waist to steady him, laughing freely. This time, Davey only hesitated for a split second before pressing up into Jack’s mouth.   
  
Jack grinned at David's enthusiasm, angling his head to slot their lips more comfortably. One of his hands slid to the small of David's back, the other moving to press between his shoulder blades. Fisting his hands into Jack's shirt, David parted his lips the way he assumed you were supposed to, gratified when Jack took the invitation to slide his tongue past his lips.   
  
David made a soft, needy noise that had Jack's arms tightening around him. Walking them backwards until his knees hit the bed frame, Jack fell backwards, pulling David down on top of him. They landed with a soft grunt, bed sheets rustling around them. David immediately leaned forward to recapture Jack’s lips, but the boy ducked his head to bury is face in Davey’s neck. Davey gasped into Jack’s hair as he kissed gently along the column of David’s throat. A light bite at the base of his neck drew out a high, breathy and admittedly pathetic sigh from Davey’s lips.  
  
Jack paused at the sound to bury his face into David shoulder. David could feel Jack’s chest shaking in slight laughter, and he managed to prop himself up high enough to swat at him. “Shut up!”   
  
Jack just let his head fall back as he laughed openly, his hands resting lightly on David’s hips.  
  
David sat up fully. “I’m not going to kiss you anymore if you keep laughing at me,” He said petulantly. He wasn’t actually sure if that was a good incentive; he had no concept of what being kissed by him felt like.   
  
Managing to compose himself to an extent, Jack grinned up at Davey. “Aw, don’t be like that.”  
  
David pointedly looked away, crossing his arms in an exaggerated display of petulance.  

**Author's Note:**

> Half way through writing this, I realized that I had essentially re-written Out Of Your Head but... canon-era. Because of that, there are a couple hefty chunks of text that didn't make the cut.
> 
> I might post them later as a second chapter, along with a rough explanation of where they would fit into the story.


End file.
